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Living St. Louis – Producers

Patrick Murphy
Vice President of Production

KETC Vice President of Production Patrick Murphy has been part of the St. Louis broadcast community for more than 30 years—airing on such radio stations as KWMU, KSLQ, KYKY, KGLD and KADI. Widely known as the “voice” of Channel 9 since 1981, Patrick has a rich background as a freelance on-camera and voice talent, as well as an independent producer.

Patrick’s most notable KETC productions include The Katy: Stories of the Trail, American Tower, Because of You, Monumental Reflections and five seasons of Living St. Louis. He has been honored for his outstanding work in television with four Emmys, two Auroras, numerous Tellys and is an honorary member of St. Louis chapter American Institute of Architects.

After earning his B.A. from Washington University, Patrick spent a semester abroad at the University of Tuebingen in Germany. He then went on to earn his M.A. from Webster University where he worked as an adjunct professor of media. And for the past 10 years, he has served as emcee and moderator of the Maryville St. Louis Speakers’ Series at Powell Hall.

Jim Kirchherr
Host/Executive Producer

Jim Kirchherr has been covering the issues and exploring the history of St. Louis for more than 25 years. He is senior producer at the Nine Network of Public Media, where he has hosted and produced a variety of public affairs programs and documentaries and moderated numerous political debates. He was the series producer for the recent PBS documentary series Homeland: Immigration in America, and served as host and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning Living St. Louis magazine program. Other credits include the Decades history series, Magic Mirrors: American Daguerreotypes (which is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution), reporting stories for PBS NewsHour, and documentaries on war hero Butch O’Hare, St. Louis’ Jewish community and the history of TWA. He has won 16 Emmy Awards.

Prior to joining the Nine Network, Kirchherr worked at KTVI-TV and witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall while a reporter for Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany.

Ruth Ezell
Reporter/Producer

In addition to producing award-winning stories for Living St. Louis, Ruth Ezell has also served as host for Channel 9 specials including No Sweet Home, Aging Out of Foster Care, Crisis in Education, Closing The Achievement Gapand the four-part series Remaking Missouri Medicine.

For the past five years, Ruth was known to radio audiences as a co-host of Total Information AM on KMOX. Over the course of her career, she has worked at several radio and television stations in the Midwest as a reporter, producer and anchor—most recently at St. Louis’ KSDK for 10 years before joining KETC. She is a four-time Mid-America Emmy award winner and a six-time winner of the Excellence in Communications Awards sponsored by the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists.

Ruth studied liberal arts at Olivet College in Michigan and the University College of Washington University. When she’s not working on Channel 9 projects, Ruth enjoys live musical performances, theatre and reading—particularly novels and biographies.

Anne-Marie BergerProducer

As both a producer and director, Anne-Marie Berger has helped create some of KETC’s most popular programs, including the national cooking show Breaking Bread With Father Dominic, Stl Biz, Home Front St. Louis; and In the Loop. Her favorite Living St. Louis shows are ones that have the ability to inspire others such as Stray Rescue, Katherine Dunham and Rebuilding Together.

Anne-Marie began her career at WYES-TV, a PBS affiliate station in New Orleans. Since coming to KETC in 2000, she has received six regional Emmy awards, two Aurora Awards, one Telly, and two awards from the Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists.

She currently serves as the Awards Chair for the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (EMMY) and teaches a communications class at the St. Louis Community College in Florissant Valley. Anne-Marie founded the James Patrick Giroir Fund, a fundraising organization committed to raising money for families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and is the former fundraising co-chair of the Boys Hope Girls Hope Junior Board.

A St. Louis native, she attended St. Joseph’s Academy and graduated with her B.A. from Loyola University in New Orleans. She went on to earn a master’s degree in Communications from Webster University and now resides in Maplewood.